Best cities for software and engineering jobs in New England
Key facts
- #1 Boston, MA: 887 openings
- #2 Cambridge, MA: 246 openings
- #3 Waltham, MA: 178 openings
- 24 cities ranked in New England
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 25% across all cities in our data.
- 1Boston MA887 openings
- 2Cambridge MA246 openings
- 3Waltham MA178 openings
- 4Lexington MA111 openings
- 5Marlborough MA95 openings
- 6Burlington MA87 openings
- 7Bedford MA84 openings
- 8Quincy MA83 openings
- 9Andover MA79 openings
- 10Wilmington MA76 openings
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Boston (887 openings) is well clear of Wilmington at #10 (76 openings).
- Boston is the largest market in the top ten, with 887 engineering openings behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 30 engineering openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
The top 25
- 1
Boston MA
887 openings
- Share of all openings
- 17%
- Median engineering pay
- $185k
- All openings
- 5,086
Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential
Based on 887 engineering openings.
- 2
Cambridge MA
246 openings
- Share of all openings
- 19%
- Median engineering pay
- $159k
- All openings
- 1,275
Hiring most here: The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Harvard University, Biogen
Based on 246 engineering openings.
- 3
Waltham MA
178 openings
- Share of all openings
- 31%
- Median engineering pay
- $195k
- All openings
- 580
Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry
Based on 178 engineering openings.
- 4
Lexington MA
111 openings
- Share of all openings
- 44%
- Median engineering pay
- $149k
- All openings
- 253
Hiring most here: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab), Takeda Development Center Americas, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International
Based on 111 engineering openings.
- 5
Marlborough MA
95 openings
- Share of all openings
- 38%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 252
Hiring most here: RTX, Hologic, Danaher
Based on 95 engineering openings.
- 6
Burlington MA
87 openings
- Share of all openings
- 32%
- Median engineering pay
- $135k
- All openings
- 268
Hiring most here: State Street, Veracode, Vericel
Based on 87 engineering openings.
- 7
Bedford MA
84 openings
- Share of all openings
- 44%
- Median engineering pay
- $123k
- All openings
- 193
Hiring most here: The MITRE, Stoke Therapeutics, Entegris
Based on 84 engineering openings.
- 8
Quincy MA
83 openings
- Share of all openings
- 32%
- Median engineering pay
- $172k
- All openings
- 256
Hiring most here: State Street, Anduril Industries, Anduril
Based on 83 engineering openings.
- 9
Andover MA
79 openings
- Share of all openings
- 48%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 166
Hiring most here: RTX, TransMedics Group, Vicor
Based on 79 engineering openings.
- 10
Wilmington MA
76 openings
- Share of all openings
- 51%
- Median engineering pay
- $144k
- All openings
- 148
Hiring most here: Onto Innovation, L3HARRIS Technologies, Unifirst
Based on 76 engineering openings.
- 11
Somerville MA
71 openings
- Share of all openings
- 25%
- Median engineering pay
- $170k
- All openings
- 282
Hiring most here: Formlabs, Tulip Interfaces, Generate Biomedicines
Based on 71 engineering openings.
- 12
Woburn MA
65 openings
- Share of all openings
- 38%
- Median engineering pay
- $128k
- All openings
- 172
Hiring most here: RTX, Kbwfinancial, Spear Bio
Based on 65 engineering openings.
- 13
Hartford CT
64 openings
- Share of all openings
- 18%
- Median engineering pay
- $108k
- All openings
- 350
Hiring most here: CVS HEALTH, Hartford HealthCare, Eversource Energy
Based on 64 engineering openings.
- 14
Lowell MA
58 openings
- Share of all openings
- 41%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 143
Hiring most here: Macom, UKG
Based on 58 engineering openings.
- 15
Westborough MA
50 openings
- Share of all openings
- 43%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 116
Hiring most here: Amazon, Olympus America, Astellas (ADP)
Based on 50 engineering openings.
- 16
Framingham MA
48 openings
- Share of all openings
- 23%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 207
Hiring most here: Staples, Bose, TJX Companies
Based on 48 engineering openings.
- 17
Danbury CT
44 openings
- Share of all openings
- 44%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 101
Hiring most here: CACI International, Caci Technologies, Fuelcell Energy
Based on 44 engineering openings.
- 18
Middletown RI
44 openings
- Share of all openings
- 66%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 67
Hiring most here: Seacorp, Arcfield, American Systems
Based on 44 engineering openings.
- 19
Norwood MA
35 openings
- Share of all openings
- 32%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 108
Hiring most here: Moderna, Home Market Foods, Illinois Tool Works
Based on 35 engineering openings.
- 20
Chelmsford MA
33 openings
- Share of all openings
- 52%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 63
Hiring most here: Brooks Automation, Brooks-tlc Hospital System, Teleflex
Based on 33 engineering openings.
- 21
Manchester NH
31 openings
- Share of all openings
- 20%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 152
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Allegro Microsystems, Eversource Energy
Based on 31 engineering openings.
- 22
Portland ME
31 openings
- Share of all openings
- 16%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 191
Hiring most here: Unum Group, BerryDunn, Kbwfinancial
Based on 31 engineering openings.
- 23
Stamford CT
31 openings
- Share of all openings
- 10%
- Median engineering pay
- Not enough pay data
- All openings
- 326
Hiring most here: Philip Morris International, Gartner, Oak Ridge Legal Search
Based on 31 engineering openings.
- 24
Watertown MA
30 openings
- Share of all openings
- 24%
- Median engineering pay
- $200k
- All openings
- 123
Hiring most here: Tutor Intelligence, Kymera Therapeutics, Treeline Biosciences
Based on 30 engineering openings.
Full ranking
All 24 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston MA | 887 openings | 887 |
| 2 | Cambridge MA | 246 openings | 246 |
| 3 | Waltham MA | 178 openings | 178 |
| 4 | Lexington MA | 111 openings | 111 |
| 5 | Marlborough MA | 95 openings | 95 |
| 6 | Burlington MA | 87 openings | 87 |
| 7 | Bedford MA | 84 openings | 84 |
| 8 | Quincy MA | 83 openings | 83 |
| 9 | Andover MA | 79 openings | 79 |
| 10 | Wilmington MA | 76 openings | 76 |
| 11 | Somerville MA | 71 openings | 71 |
| 12 | Woburn MA | 65 openings | 65 |
| 13 | Hartford CT | 64 openings | 64 |
| 14 | Lowell MA | 58 openings | 58 |
| 15 | Westborough MA | 50 openings | 50 |
| 16 | Framingham MA | 48 openings | 48 |
| 17 | Danbury CT | 44 openings | 44 |
| 18 | Middletown RI | 44 openings | 44 |
| 19 | Norwood MA | 35 openings | 35 |
| 20 | Chelmsford MA | 33 openings | 33 |
| 21 | Manchester NH | 31 openings | 31 |
| 22 | Portland ME | 31 openings | 31 |
| 23 | Stamford CT | 31 openings | 31 |
| 24 | Watertown MA | 30 openings | 30 |
How this ranking works
A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles classed in the engineering function, which includes software, hardware and data engineering.
Median engineering pay uses only listings that post a salary, and is shown only where at least 8 do. Cities need at least the minimum number of engineering openings to be ranked.
A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
Sample bar: cities with fewer than 30 engineering openings are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which city ranks first: best cities for software and engineering jobs in new england?
- Boston has the most software and engineering openings in New England: 887 openings, in a market where engineering is 25% of openings across all cities in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 24 cities have at least 30 engineering openings, so the list has 24 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles classed in the engineering function, which includes software, hardware and data engineering. Median engineering pay uses only listings that post a salary, and is shown only where at least 8 do. Cities need at least the minimum number of engineering openings to be ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best cities for software and engineering jobs in New England,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-software-engineering-jobs-in-new-england
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-software-engineering-jobs-in-new-england">Best cities for software and engineering jobs in New England (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
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